title: Bile acids: antioxidants or enhancers of peroxidation depending on lipid concentration.
abstract: Using three different assay systems, we have discovered a heretofore unrecognized antioxidant property of bile acids at physiological concentrations. Bile acids inhibit peroxidation of the polyunsaturated lipid, linoleic acid, and of the highly fluorescent protein phycoerythrin. In part, the antioxidant activity results from scavenging of peroxyl radicals by direct oxidation of the bile acids. The most abundant products of the reaction of cholate and chenodeoxycholate with peroxyl radicals were studied in detail and shown to be the keto derivatives formed by oxidation of the 7 alpha-hydroxyl groups. Paradoxically, at linoleate concentrations higher than 1-2 mM, glycocholate up to approximately 10-14 mM enhances lipid peroxidation and inhibits only at higher concentrations. These findings may prove important in understanding the etiology of certain disease states of the biliary tract and intestine where lipid peroxidation may be involved and in providing a rationale for the positive epidemiological correlation between high lipid intake and higher fecal bile acid output and colon cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley 94720.
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: DeLange
authors.forename: A N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Glazer
mesh_terms: D000975:Antioxidants; D001647:Bile Acids and Salts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006000:Glycocholic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D007700:Kinetics; D019787:Linoleic Acid; D008041:Linoleic Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation / Q000187:drug effects*; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy / Q000379:methods; D010799:Phycoerythrin / Q000378:metabolism*; D010860:Pigments, Biological / Q000378:metabolism*; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D001647:Bile Acids and Salts; D008041:Linoleic Acids; D010860:Pigments, Biological; D010799:Phycoerythrin; D019787:Linoleic Acid; D006000:Glycocholic Acid